Chapter 5
Chapter 5
“Are you not coming out?”
“Maybe I’ll just sleep like this. My head’s upside down, so the blood’s circulating nicely. There are inversion tables and things in this world too, you know. This is free. A real bargain.”
“Princess.”
“I’m tired anyway. If I sleep until morning, someone will notice I’m not in my room. I’ll miss the royal breakfast, but it’s not like that’ll cause some diplomatic incident. I’m just the ninth princess. I’m only there so my parents can show me off. Though I’m sure from your perspective, a fourth-circle theorist isn’t much to brag about.”
“Are you threatening me right now?”
“I’m just venting. What can I do? It’s all my fault. Anyway, I’m too tired. I’m going to sleep. You should go get some rest too. Sorry you’re wasting your time on me at this hour. Oh, and since it wouldn’t be much trouble for you anyway, it’d be great if you could put me back where I was. Door and all.”
Larissa poured every ounce of sarcasm she had left into her voice. Lukenian let out a small sigh.
“…You intend to stay like this in front of other people?”
“If the mages in our workshop count as other people, then so do you. You’re not even my advisor.”
“Even so, I’ll have to step in here. Are you making any attempt to get out right now?”
“I can’t. Unlike you, I have terrible focus and no mental stamina. I can’t just whip up an applied formula out of thin air in an unfamiliar environment with no hands and no materials and—snap!—cast a spell.”
She expected some irritating retort. Surprisingly, Lukenian stayed quiet. Larissa lay limp and watched his elegant shoes pace back and forth in her field of vision.
The silence was its own kind of discomfort. The position was already unbearably awkward, but the mental discomfort far outweighed it. Lukenian took a slow lap around her and the door. Probably examining the state of things.
Meanwhile, her thighs were chilly. She’d rather Jonas have seen her than Lukenian. He’d never understand something like a maiden’s heart. Not until the day he died.
Lukenian reached out. A strange metallic hum—sreung—and his hand sank into the door, sending blue ripples across its surface.
“Nnh…”
Larissa let out an involuntary groan. He’d only touched the door, but fused as they were at the particle level, she felt the sensation ripple through her waist and stomach.
A strange sense of violation scraped at her mind as part of her body was encroached upon. Larissa shivered, feeling her own physical particles scattered and mingled into a portion of the door.
‘Magically speaking, I know the concept of “me” is directly fused with the door. But honestly, the idea of living biological particles mixing with an inanimate object while still alive makes zero sense to me. If you break it down to a subcellular level, can you even still call it a living thing? Are the molecules from Earth and the particles here even the same concept? This is exactly why my Earth common sense gets in the way. I can do the calculations, but my intuition is garbage…’
“What are you thinking about?”
Lukenian’s voice cut in. Larissa trembled.
“My senses have extended into the door.”
“Your body is dispersing into the surrounding area because the particle density at the overlapping point is too high. You’ll need to separate soon. If this state continues too long, your body and the door will fully integrate.”
“Well, that sounds like a failed chimera.”
“You seem relaxed. Think about how you’ll get out.”
As he spoke, Lukenian moved his hand smoothly. Warmth spread across her exposed thigh, and Larissa realized he’d pulled the hem of her nightgown free from inside the door.
A sigh of relief escaped her. Lukenian noticed.
“You’re on the verge of becoming a failed chimera and that’s what you’re relieved about? I’m not pulling you out.”
“Have you ever considered that there might be such a thing as basic human decency, separate from being a mage?”
“I believe a mage must transcend humanity.”
“What I mean is, people are supposed to help each other. And I, being human, possess the basic decency to ask for outside help. You’re the one who forcibly stopped me.”
“You really never miss a chance to talk back.”
“I guess so. Being shy requires the right circumstances. A person with nothing left to lose can do anything.”
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